Evaluating Transportation Economic Development Impacts, Understanding How Transport Policy and Planning Decisions Affect Employment, Incomes, Productivity, Competitiveness, Property Values and Tax Revenues

Transport policy and planning decisions often have significant economic development (also called macroeconomics) impacts by affecting government and consumer expenditures, employment opportunities, resource consumption, productivity, local environmental quality, property values, affordability and wealth accumulation. Some of these impacts are widely recognized and considered in conventional policy and planning analysis, but others are often overlooked or undervalued. This report identifies practical ways to incorporate comprehensive economic analysis into transport planning. It describes specific economic impacts, methods for evaluating these impacts, and transport strategies for achieving economic development objectives.